Mandy's Musings

Monday, 5 May 2014

Thank you to my fellow Choc Lit author and wonderful friend, Chris Stovell for inviting me to take part in the blog tour. She has her new book due out in the summer and I for one can't wait! Follow a Star will be her third novel and I'm sure will be just as brilliant as her first two, Turning the Tide and Move Over Darling. You can find out more about Chris here

I also need to say thanks to Sharon Booth who nominated me a while ago but for one reason and another, er ... things went awry! Sharon is a lovely lady who is always very supportive of my writing which means such a lot. She is currently writing book two in a series and you can find out more about Sharon here

Okay, so what am I working on at the moment?

This is a picture of part of the magical Tintagel Castle about half an hour from my home. I got some of my idea for my new work in progress Summer in Tintagel when I visited earlier this year and the rest from walking along the cliff paths near by. It will involve aspect of mystery, romance and the paranormal. It is in the very early stages but I think I like where it is going.

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

I guess because I always like to have lots of often separate but interlocking threads running through my stories. I enjoy setting puzzles for the reader too and having a dialogue with them. As a reader I love to try and guess what is going to happen, or who has a secret. Therefore I try to write what I enjoy reading.

Why do I write what I do?

I have always written. Well, not always. A new born baby writing would be very disconcerting wouldn't it? But since I was around eight-ish I wrote short stories and poems. It is in my blood as they say. I get jumpy if I have nothing on the go. I enjoy losing myself in the writing and creating new characters and situations from nothing. It is kind of playing make believe when you are a kid in a way. The thing is, I have never grown up and don't intend to.

How does my writing process work?

I have no set pattern to my work in that I don't get up at a certain time, sit at my laptop (pictured above) and crack on with it. I tend to just do it as and when, but normally I do writing of some description every day for a few hours. Neither do I plan very much. I am not a post-it note and scene-by-scene type. I just write the title (can't write without one) and a few key points, hit return on the keyboard a few times so I have a blank page and then go for it. My books although are similar in some respects - they all have a love story within them and a few twists and turns, but they are very different too.

I am delighted to now pass the challenge on to fellow Crooked Cat author, David Robinson on the 15th of May. David is a phenomenally successful author and lovely with it. His 'cozy' crime Sanford Third Age Club Mystery series are always riding high in the charts. I think he has written thirteen books in total. If I'm wrong I am sure David will put me right :) You can find about more about David and his books here